Thursday, July 29, 2010

Week in Review - 7.25 thru 7.29

Here is this weeks fashion edition...

Sunday
Dress: Anthropologie
Cardigan: ??
Shoes:  Sofft


Monday
Pink Shirt:  Anthony's in FL
Jacket: Black House | White Market
Jeans: Diesel
Shoes:  Sofft


Tuesday
Green Shirt:  Banana Republic
Cardigan: Ann Taylor
Pants: Aeropostale
Shoes:  Unisa


Wednesday
Dress:  Target
Cardigan: ??
Shoes:  Tory Burch


Thursday
Tank Top:  Forever 21
Dress:  J Crew
Cardigan:  Forever 21
Shoes:  Cathy Jean

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Kristie's Asian Soup

Jennie and I decided to stay in instead of go out last night.  Which worked cause it gave me an excuse to make a soup I have been wanting to try.  Actually, I have been wanting to make this soup, however I used up the  mushrooms yesterday so I used the essence of the soup and made something completely different.

Kristie's Asian Soup


4 cups chicken stock (made from this post)
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 yellow onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp all seasoning mix
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of paprika
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen lima beans
10 frozen vegetable dumplings (from the H Mart)

In a medium or large sauce pan over medium-high heat, warm the chicken stock.

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add onions.  Saute 3 minutes and add the carrots.  Cook until the onions are translucent (about 2 more minutes).  Add the celery, garlic and spices.  Cook 3 more minutes.  Transfer all to the sauce pan.

Add the chicken, peas, lima beans and dumplings.  Cook until the dumplings are tender and float to the top.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Kai Lin Pictures!!

I have added the pictures from the Kai Lin Art Gallery opening for Monsters.  I think I may have a few more pics on my camera that need to be uploaded.  I really should get on that...



Click here to view (or in the side bar).


Also, Jennie had taken a picture of her and I at a pool party at our friend Hersh's house.  I think we look good :)


It was a white party... I was a rebel!!  LOL!!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Being Creative with Food

So, I had a few recipes that I had parts of the ingredients for them and I wanted to put together the food for Erinleigh and George early so I decided Sunday night that I would make my food for the week. Here are some Kristie originals.

Eggplant Casserole with Panko Crust



2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup veggie stock
1 1/2 medium eggplants, diced
1 carrot, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 container portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon seasoning mix
1 can no-salt added tomatoes
3 cups cooked white rice
1 whole lemon pepper chicken from Publix, skin removed and diced
1 tomato, diced

1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon dried basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat and cook eggplant until it starts to become tender (about 5 minutes). As the eggplant cooks it will soak up the olive oil, add veggie stock, as needed, and cover to keep the pan moist. Add the carrots and cook for 3 more minutes. Add onion, cook until almost translucent and add garlic and seasoning mix (whatever mix you like best). Cook for 5 more minutes then turn off heat. Add tomatoes, rice, chicken, and tomato, stir to combine.

Combine panko, parsley, paprika, and basil in a small dish.

Put eggplant mixture in a casserole dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and bake until golden brown and hot throughout, about 30 minutes.



When I made the above, I had about 1 1/2 cups left over eggplant that wouldn't fit in my casserole dish so I made some soup and used it in there...

Kristie's Butternut Squash Soup




1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup veggie stock
1/2 eggplant, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups leftover eggplant mix from recipe above
1 container Trader Joe's Organic Low-Sodium Butternut Squash Soup
1 lemon grass stalk

In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat and cook eggplant until it starts to become tender (about 5 minutes) stirring regularly. As the eggplant cooks it will soak up the olive oil, add veggie stock, as needed, and cover to keep the pan moist. Add onion, cook until almost translucent. Add garlic, cook about 3 minutes.

Turn down the heat to medium low, add the eggplant mixture, the soup, and lemon grass. Cover and cook until heated thru. Before serving remove the lemon grass stalk and discard.


Uber Easy Chicken Stock
Leftover chicken bones from the eggplant casserole dish
Water
Whole Peppercorn

Once all the meat had been removed I put the bones in a medium sauce pan, covered with water, and added a few whole peppercorns. Cover, cook on medium-high until it starts to boil. Turn down to low and cook 30-45 minutes. Remove from heat, strain, and your done! :)

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Cambodia 2010


It's beginning to look a lot like... Christmas (in July)!!!  Which for all who know me well, know this is my favorite time of year!!  Does this feel like deja vu??  Yep! I’m going back!!!  I was so fortunate to go to Cambodia last year and ecstatic that I’ve been chosen to go back again this year!!



First I want to say thank you so much for all the support you have given to me already in prayers and love.




As a member of the Cambodia team, I will have the opportunity to partner with New Life Church as they love and encourage the children at their orphanage. By creating a fun, relational environment, I will have the privilege of teaching these children about God, building friendships, and most of all, showing them that our team cares for them.



And I can’t do this alone.  I need your help (again).  Please prayerfully consider partnering with me in this journey.  I will need your help in two ways.



First, thru prayer.  My prayers are:

  1. Our team will be unified
  2. We will endure safe travel
  3. The children and community will be receptive to us and Christ
  4. God would use me as a way to share His love
  5. Through this amazing experience, I will continue to grow in my faith.  

The second way I will need your help is thru financial contributions.  I will need to raise $3,200. No contribution is too small (or too large ;)... if 100 people donate $30 I'm there!!  If you are able to assist, you can either go online to http://www.goglobalx.org/, click on Give, the country is ‘Cambodia - Phnom Penh', the trip is 'Cambodia - Phnom Penh Christmas 12/02/10 - 12/12/10'.  Or you can make a check out to ‘North Point Community Church’ and mail it to me.  If you need my address please let me know!   Please try to give before October 2010.  And, yes this contribution is tax deductible.  




I would love for you to be able to put faces with the prayers and support you will be sending our way.  For an uplifting and heartwarming video about some of the kids we will be serving, please click here.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Week in Review - 7.18 thru 7.22

Another week has come and gone.  So here is my report for this week...

Sunday
Dress - Anthropologie
Shoes - Tory Burch


Monday
Dress: Express
Leggings: Express
Sweater: Nordstrom
Shoes: Unisa


Tuesday
Tank: Target 
Dress: Macy's
Shoes: Target


Wednesday
Skirt: Banana Republic
Tank: Forever 21
Polka Dot Tank: Sweet Pea
Shoes: Sofft


Thursday
Dress: J. Crew
Tank: Target
Cardigan: Victoria's Secret
Shoes: Tory Burch

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Hand Made

Another baby shower at work... this time it was for Ryan!! She is so cute pregnant!!  She is one of many having a baby girl so I made her 2 bibs in the same format as the rest of the baby girl bibs...



I'm getting pretty efficient at making them.  This time it only took about 45 minutes to make 2!!  Woo hoo!!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Roasted Pork Chops and Peaches

I know I haven't posted in a few days but I have been quite busy.  I have pictures from the weekend that I need to get with Jennie before I can share them so once I have them I'll blog my weekend events.  

In the meantime, I'll share this super easy, ridiculously delicious meal. I found it in my Real Simple magazine and barely changed it up.  I made it Tuesday night for Erinleigh, George, and Richard.  I even got a marriage proposal out of it... LOL!!  Iknow you will want to make it over and over... cause I sure do!!




Roasted Pork Chops and Peaches




1 tablespoon olive oil
4 bone-in pork chops (each 3/4 inch thick; about 2 pounds total)
kosher salt and black pepper
4 peaches, cut into wedges
1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1. Heat oven to 400º F.
2. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.
3. Add the peaches, onion, vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper to the skillet and cook, tossing, for 1 minute. Return the pork (and any accumulated juices) to the skillet. Transfer the skillet to oven and roast until the pork is cooked through and the peaches are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil.

I made this with a mix of grains (which smelled way better than tasted so I'm not blogging that recipe), biscuits and steamed broccoli.  

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Thursday Fud.

I had a jimaca that needed to be used up before it went bad so I went to the internet and found this recipe, mixed it up to what I had at home, and was happy with the result...


Jimaca and Mango Salad


1 medium jicama (about 1 pound)
1 small cucumbers
2 medium mangoes
1/4 cup roughly chopped basil leaves
3/4 teaspoons chile powder
3 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 cup arugula pesto

Peel and slice the jicama into long thin strips using a mandoline. Slice the cucumbers into long thin strips using a mandoline. Peel the mangoes and slice into long thin strips using a mandoline. Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. 


On the side I made...

Panko Crusted Ruffie


1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
Freshly grated zest of 1 medium lemon (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 6-ounce skinless ruffie fillets
1 tablespoon yellow mustard, or more to taste
Nonstick cooking oil spray, for coating the crumb topping
Juice of 1 large lemon, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Use aluminum foil to line the bottom of a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet large enough to hold the fish fillets in a single layer.

Combine the panko, lemon zest, parsley, paprika, and basil in a shallow baking dish; mix well.

Use paper towels to pat the fillet dry. Place it skinned (darker) side down on the lined baking dish or sheet.  Use the mustard to evenly coat the top of the fillet. 

Cover the filet with the panko mix. Use nonstick cooking oil spray to lightly coat the fillets' crumb topping.

Bake for about 12 minutes, until the fish is cooked through (based on a guideline of 10 to 12 minutes' cooking per inch of thickness). Transfer to the stove top (off the heat) while you preheat the broiler.

Position the top oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the top broiling element; preheat the broiler.

Broil the fillets for 1 to 2 minutes, just to brown the crumb topping.

Meanwhile, spoon about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice across each individual plate, then lay a fillet on top of each portion. Serve immediately.


And, I made enough for left overs for lunch or dinner the next day!!! Yay!!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Week in Review - 7.12 thru 7.15

Once again I had a shorter work week as I was still in Marathon on Sunday (I'm sooooo missing the ocean right now).  But, here is what I chose to wear this week...

Monday
Cami: Forever 21
Dress:  J Crew
Cardigan:  Forever 21
Shoes: Tori Burch


Tuesday
Cami:  Forever 21
Shirt:  Ann Taylor
Jeans:  Diesel
Shoes:  Carlos Santana


Wednesday
Shirt:  Abercrombie
Vest: ??
Jeans:  Diesel
Shoes:  Nine West


Thursday
Shirt:  Forever 21
Pants:  Anthropologie
Shoes:  Unisa

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Tuesday's Fud.

Tuesday I got to visit Erinleigh & George's new house when I brought them dinner!! It is a beautiful house, just outside the perimeter.  Luckily I remembered my passport... LOL! I actually loved their neighborhood... a fun mix of culture and 70's style homes.


In the next paragraph I'll discuss what I made however first I must say that after dinner EL and I went to the Super H Mart... an Asian (with a splash of Mexican) market about 10 miles from her house.  I couldn't read a lot of what was there but I want to try it all!  I loved it and will be frequenting it I'm sure.  Now to find someone who is Asian to take me around... LOL!!!



Ok, now for what I made.  Since I was out of town all weekend I didn't want to try to do too much for dinner so I bought a roasted chicken from Publix and brought rice, beans, and corn.


Rice and Beans

1 cup of dried beans
2 cups brown rice
water
1 can Rotel tomatoes (original)

In a large bowl, cover dried beans with water and soak overnight in the fridge.

Next, place the brown rice and 5 cups of water in a large sauce pan.  Bring to a boil on high. Once boiling, reduce heat medium-low and cover.  Let cook for 45 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, boil the beans in a separate pot on the stove over medium-high heat.

Once the rice is done cooking, drain the beans.  Add the beans and the Rotel to the rice.  Mix and serve.


This was super easy and I would totally do it again.  I was even impressed with the pre-cooked chicken from Publix!!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Monday's Fud.

There is an amazing place near my house to get the best falafel sandwich ever but it's deep fried and stuffed with lots of yummy (and calorie filled) ingredients.


There is a great lighter alternative from my Skinny B*tch book so on Monday I made Jennie and I falafel .  Since I made it completely according to the book I feel that I shouldn't post the recipe here, however this one is quite close to what I made. Instead of putting it into a sandwich we ate it as a salad... I heart falafel and need to make it more often!!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Odessa & Eric's Wedding Pictures!!

I have uploaded the pictures I took from Odessa & Eric's wedding. You can see them by clicking here or under pictures in the side bar.  It was an amazingly beautiful weekend and I had a blast.  I feel so privileged to be a part of their special day.  Teesha & I had so much fun being bridesmaids and roommates for the weekend.  The flights were uneventful (which is more than I could say for any trip last year), her Mom is an amazing Jamaican cook (yummo!), the drive was pretty easy, our suitemates were super fun, Odessa was an amazing bride, and everything was super relaxed. 


Thursday was the rehearsal and dinner at their wedding rental house... on the ocean!!  Then Friday we had breakfast at the Stuffed Pig (which I couldn't seem to get the name right all weekend, wanting to call it the Piggly Wiggly), enjoyed watching Odessa get her hair done, and then hung out together pre-wedding. 



The wedding was beautiful!! God can sure create an amazing backdrop!! I was so excited to be with my friends during their ceremony.  I was so happy for them.  And then the pictures during the sunset...



I can't wait to see the final results. Once I have them I'll also add them to the picture link.  Afterwards we had a great time eating, dancing and having dessert!  Then we waved good-bye to the happily married couple as their limo whisked them off to an undisclosed location and we headed back to our townhouse and hung out with some of the rest of the guests at the pool until about 3am. 


Saturday was another amazing day, which started out with a thunderstorm.  I watched it from the porch as I drank tea and ate some fruit.  After the weather cleared up we headed back to the Stuffed Pig for brunch before going snorkeling.  Teesha has some great pictures of us girls in our outfits as soon as she puts them online I'll add them here as well.  The fish and the coral were so beautifully amazing... and we got to swim with barracudas.  Can you believe it?? 


After snorkeling we headed back to the pool to sunbath before going to dinner at the resorts restaurant.  Seriously some of the most amazing food I have ever ate.  Sangria, mango/avocado salad with the best dressing ever, panko crusted grouper with this mango/starfish puree that was to die for, and 3 different desserts that we ladies shared (and I finished off)... key lime pie, chocolate lava cake, and date cake with toffee.  The management of the restaurant loved us so much that they even gave us some port to finish of the experience.  We loved them so much that we had our pictures taken with the chef and our waitress. 


They had to roll me out of there.  Not wanting the night to end we headed back to the pool to watch the stars.  As we were all falling asleep on our chairs we decided to crawl into bed.

I woke up Sunday to sunshine streaming into the window so I headed down to the beach for one final hour of ocean-side sunbathing.  Then packed up, ate brunch with Teesha at LeeAnn's More Than A Coffeeshop... which had phenomenal food... before heading back to Ft. Lauderdale to see T's Mom, sister and cousin.  At the airport we watched Spain win the World Cup and then jumped on the plane back to reality. 

It was a beautiful vacation and wonderful wedding!!

Friday, July 09, 2010

Week in Review - 7.6 thru 7.7

The holiday weekend coupled with Odessa's wedding makes my work week very, very short!  Like only 2 outfits (I worked Sunday, however I worked from home b/c of the Peachtree Road Race... I couldn't leave my apartment).  So, here is the very short list for this week...

Tuesday
Shirt: Banana Republic
Cami: Forever 21
Black Pants: Anthropologie
Shoes: Victoria Secret


Wednesday
Cami: Forever 21
Cardigan: The Loft
Skirt: The Limited
Shoes: ??

On another note, I got my camera in the mail Tuesday!! Woo hoo!! I have been actual camera-less for a while so all pictures that I have taken have been with my iPhone.  The rest have been pictures that others have taken and given to me.  So, I'LL be taking pictures at Odessa's wedding.  Plan on a future post showing all the festivities of this weekend!!  Yay!!  I'm so excited to have a camera again.  What kind, you want to know...


This is the tiniest camera I have ever owned.  It will fit perfectly inside of any purse.  I have to read the instructions on how to use all the features but that will be fun!  Also, this is the first camera that I have had that doesn't take double-A batteries.  Hahah!!

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Maple Walnut Squash Again!!

Jennie loves the maple walnut squash from this post.  I can't blame her, so do I.  So the other night she wanted me to make it and she was willing to bring a butternut squash and the rest of the ingredients.  I couldn't say no.

So here is what came out...


1 butternut squash
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried unsweetened coconut
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff (save the seeds for roasting if you want). Put the butternut squash in a 9 x 13 inch pan with the cut sides facing up.

In a food processor, combine the rest of the ingredients and pulse until the nuts and raisins are coarsely chopped. Scoop the walnut mixture into the scooped out sections of the squash.

Fill the bottom of the pans with water 1/2 inch high. Cover pan with foil and bake until squash flesh is tender (about 1 hour is how long it took for me).


YUMMY!

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Week in Review - 6.27 thru 7.1

Here is the newest on my clothing choices...

Sunday
Dress: J Crew
Cardigan: Forever 21
Cami: Forever 21
Shoes: Unisa


Monday
Top: H&M
Leggings: Express (I think)
Shoes & Hat: Target


Tuesday
Scarf, Cami & Jacket: Forever 21
Belt: Armani Exchange
Jeans: Express


Wednesday
(I actually removed the headband before going to work... 
it all just felt like too much... but forgot to retake a picture)
Vest: BCBG
Shirt: ???
Pants: The Loft
Shoes: Carlos Santana


Thursday
Shirt: Target
Belt: Nordstrom Rack
Jeans: The Loft
Shoes: Tori Burch

Saturday, July 03, 2010

Pictures Added!!!



I have added pictures to Lynn's Wedding link on the right hand side!!  You can also check out Lynn's blog to see the slide show... absolutely beautiful pictures!!!